Research Methods Trip @ The Grampians

In the beginning I was really not looking forward to the trip, mostly because it meant leaving the hot, relaxing atmosphere of Byron Bay and The Gold Coast but in the end, I was SO glad I went.

My group for the trip consisted of me, Sian, Bridget, Mark and Megan.

[Megan, Me, Bridget, Sian and Mark]

[Sian, Me, Bridget, Mark and Megan]

 

Of course we had to spend most of our days conducting our projects for Research Methods but the rest of the time was our own. Which sometimes we did spend helping out other groups that were getting behind.

I also got to see some pretty cool animals like an echidna! I was told that if I didn’t see one in the Grampians that I was extremely unlucky as they were everywhere. Then the next day we were walking and one came plodding over a soil mound. It was beyond cute and made me really happy.

My friend Jared also caught a Shingleback Lizard who was wondering through camp one day. He was about a foot long and covered in like armour plating type scales (for those not familiar with the species). I felt really sorry for him actually, as he had 2 huge ticks under his right fore-leg. I wish I could have removed them but we didn’t have any tick removers and I didn’t want to risk it getting infected and cause him more problems :/

What was pretty cool was in the dining hall we had a big white board, and every time someone spotted a new species of animal, we added it to the board. By the end of the trip the board was covered with different species, from kangaroos to lizards to eagles. Oh and we even found a trap door spider in one of our quadrats!

It was just nice to be back in a more rural setting, surrounded by wildlife. The downside being I was completely bitten to shreds by insects, even though the majority of my body was covered! They really do find a way don’t they!